restoration Last Fox Restoration 08FD92

[FourFox]

OK, so this is only MY last Fox restoration (I have now done 7).

 

08FD92 is an early Fox showing non of the later modifications. It is in remarkable original condition, and is still in the state it was recieved in my workshop following purchase from a well known dealer (with 3 others).

 

Like most Foxes, it was supplied without an engine pack and has suffered cosmetically from being left outside for 20 years!

It is surprisingly intact (apart from the engine) and I have lots of evidence to believe that the mileage shown on the speedo is a genuine 834 miles (yes, that's eight hundred and thirty four) since new!

 

Being the last in a series of Foxes to be restored, I have kept the best of the NOS parts required from my stock for this project.

The list of parts and assemblies is quite extensive and half fills one of my containers. It includes:- all 3 seat assemblies, new wheels and tyres (one has been fitted before), power steering pump, bilge pump, turret traverse box, alternator control box, air cleaner, all exterior lights, smoke dischargers and bins, first aid bin, pioneer tools, periscopes, complete radio installation (the 2 x 353s are tested take-outs), the majority of floor plates, fuel pump, exhaust system (silencer is an excellent take off), exhaust guard, fire extinguishers and a myriad of smaller parts (like the commander's foot pressel and map reading light) that make a big difference to the overall impression of a competent restoration.

 

The engine is originally a domestic (XJ6) unit that was re-built by a competant (supposedly) Jaguar garage and was fitted in the prototype Fox. It is very similar to the original 101A that would have been fitted to this Fox. I thought it would be an easy task to fit a military sump and just pop the engine in!

 

Not so fast.. the distributor is loose...its just come off in my hand! The learning process continues. Domestic engines are different in many details. The military distributor mounting plate does not fit the hole in the block as there is no recess and the holes are different. It had been modified by removing the mating spiggot and mounting with just the one bolt (which quickly became loose). No wonder it was running very erratically before it was removed from the prototype!

 

A trepanning tool was made using a tungsten-tipped boring tool, and a slow speed (Wolf) drill used to cut the new locating recess in the (cast iron) block. Great, it's an excellent fit. The existing bolt hole is enlarged and tapped for the correct bolt and a new second bolt hole is made. A spare distributor is fitted with electronic ignition and a propper Fox distributor cap is re-furbished with new parts and fitted. All the cables feeding the ignition are replaced, including the new 24v power feed and suppression filter to feed the electronic ignition.

 

Now for the sump change. Fluid flywheel drained and removed (seal and flange leaking anyway). Bell housing removed. (there were no triangular bell housing supports!). And the old automotive sump is removed. Gee, that oil pump suction pipe is much longer than a military center-feed one!

 

At this stage I remove the camshaft covers in order to check the valve timing (I had noticed that the old ignition leads were not numbered correctly!). Wow! It's 270 degrees out. (actually slightly more as I could not adjust the ignition timing to the correct point). Again, no wonder that it was running like a dog!

So the oil pump has to be removed and the distibutor/crankshaft driving gear re-set to the correct position. (using cam shaft setting gauge blocks and the dummy timing distributor).

Re-fit a correct oil suction pipe and put it all back together with the correct militay sump (using all new tab washers)..not forgetting to fill the oil pump with oil to assist in rapid priming of the oil system.

 

As an interesting (to some) aside...I have been told that the Jaguar racing boys fill their oil pumps with heavy oil (and sometimes light grease) to achieve rapid priming of the oil pressure before damage occurs to a rebuilt engine due to lack of oil on new bearings.

 

Whilst I have all this engine stripped to such an extent I decide to build it up as a CVRT variant and run it up on the test rig (Fox build will not fit in the test cradle).

 

 

 

 

Oil pressure achieved after about 10 seconds cranking. (the big gauge)

Switch on fuel pump...and it fires up quickly.

Still running like a dog... whats that hissing noise...there is a small second manifold vacuum tapping (apart from the one for the brake servo, which is alredy blanked off). This must have been open in its last installation...again no wonder it was not running right.

I suspect it is an early variant of the disrtibutor breathing system.

A bit of inuslating tape cures the problem. Re-set the slow running jets for a nice even pick-up when you ram the throttle open (on a warm engine)..check for obvious leaks and strange noises..using a long screwdriver like a stethoscope to listen to each valve tappet... and take photos for posterity...damn, forgot the camera. I look forward to running the engine again on Monday morning...taking photos at various engine revs (even checking the limiter...scary) and doing a few more checks before removing engine from the rig.

 

 

Here is one showing a second multimeter checking the temperature sender (Fox variant only)

 

And a couple of shots showing the start of the 'dressing up as a Fox'

 

 

 

Will post more next week showing preparations for the engine installation and re-building (another) wheelstation.

 

Jon

Edited August 11, 2012 by FourFox

[timbo]

Looking forward to seeing this progress Jon, the end of an era!

 

Surely though you need to change your username now..?

 

Cheers

Tim

[FourFox]

Progress has been made!

 

The engine bay has been cleaned and painted and all the ancilliary fittings sorted before attemting to fit the engine. I know how little space there is to do power-steering pipes and throttle linkage once the engine is in.

 

The old (original) batteries have been removed. Also the fibreglass battery boxes. This gives much easier access for fitting the engine.

 

The turret floor has been totally removed and the support bars have been straightenned and painted ready for re-fitting after the bell-housing bolts have been tightenned and the engine ancilliaries have been checked for leaks.

 

The gearbox (and the surrounding hull floor, even underneath the gearbox) has been has been thoroughly cleaned and the controls checked for correct operation.

 

Finally drain and re-fill the rear bevel boxes to the correct level with oil (and Molyslip) and check that there are no leaks. This procedure is well nigh impossible with these early Foxes when the engine is in place as there are no extension filler pipes fitted.

 

 

 

The engine has now been trial fitted with all the oil pipes and cooler. The fan pack has been aligned and all the new belts observed to be the right tension and running true. The fan pack will be removed before fitting the engine as I find it impossible to fit the rear engine mounting bolts with the fans in place!

 

New engine wiring harnesses for the engine services and the starter have been made up (as I don't have good original ones)

 

The restoration of all the floor plates is well under way, as is the turret basket.

I will assemble the floor plates onto the support frame and photo them before fitting into the hull. I have not seen a good picture of the completed assembly as it gets a bit cramped down inside.

 

Likewise I shall assenble the restored turret basket and (new) seats for a photo before dismantling and re-fitting to the turret.

 

Progress will be slow next week as I am preparing for the Tank, Trucks and Firepower show at Dunchurch (near Rugby) over the Bank Holliday weekend.

You should get along there if you can. It's the best 'live firing' demonstration anywhere. (I must admit to some bias here as I am booked to do the commentry again this year)...see you there.

 

Jon

[FourFox]

Finally some progress has been made after the terrible winter weather!

 

Engine is now installed and running as it should...with no visible leaks.

 

Power steering works fine.

 

Gearbox has had a change of oil as there was some water contamination. The bands look to have plenty of wear left on them and they have been adjusted to give an even pedal movement for each gear.

 

One rear brake caliper was siezed solid and in poor condition. I have replaced it with a new one, complete with new pads and flexi pipe.

 

Most of the electrics have been sorted and are now working (nearly) as they should.

 

The new alternator control box has been fitted and is working fine.

 

One of the radiators has had a new core fitted..it didn't actually need one but I found out I had 2 right hand radiators. Whilst I was dismantling the radiator to change it to a left handed one, it made sense to put in a new core...as I still have several.

 

I have sorted the wheels and tyres with 3 new rims (the 4th has to be re-furbished as I only had 3) and 3 new tyres. The 4th tyre is nearly new as you can still see the rubber moulding marks on the tread. They all measure the same, within a few mm around the circumference.

 

I have trial fitted the new right-hand tin-work and it fits together very well...nice and straight. Right-hand rear bin and triangular aluminium mud guards have been re-furbished and fitted.

 

Left hand rear bin was in poor condition and full of holes after sand blasting. I just happend to find another early bin (no rear door) that was the correct hand and in good condition. It's now fitted and they both look like new.

 

Work on removing the old paintwork is now 75% complete.

 

Hatch seals have been removed and re-furbished ready for fitting after painting the turret. All the hatch turn-locks have been restored and re-fitted (some needed a good dose of oxy-acetylene).

 

Rear deck louvres have been sand blasted and final painted.

 

Rarden elevation gearbox has been re-furbished and now works very smoothly.

 

Enough of the boring bits...here are some recent photos.

 

 

 

The Fox has now moved under it's own power for the first time in over 1/4 of a cenrury!

 

I hope to have it outside during this better weather and give it a good workout round the block before re-fitting the rear armour. It will be much easier to drive when I have fitted the driver's seat!

 

 

Jon

[FourFox]

I have decided to do some of the more boring bits first this time!

 

The driver's hatch is often the last to get restored and is thus usually not quite given the attention it deserves.

 

 

After thouroughly removing all the fittings and old paint (from both sides) the fittings have been restored using some NOS bits I have been saving.

 

 

I am very pleased with the result and am now working on the two turret hatches in the same way.

When all the periscopes have been re-fitted I shall be able to 'lock down' the hull to prvent any green overspray from ruining my inside job.

 

Jon

[FourFox]

Latest progress yesterday...This side nearly done.

 

 

I have left the painting of the new tinwork till last as it provides a useful walkway whilst finishing the turret. Notice the NOS grenade box complete with original lettering...a nice finishing touch!

I now have to turn the Fox round so that I can see what I'm doing on the other side!

 

In the meantime I have made quite a bit of progress on some of the ancilliaries. Headlights and horn are now restored and fitted. The gunner's night sight has now been re-furbished and fitted together, complete with new image intensifier.

More pictures next week.

 

 

Jon

Edited May 18, 2013 by FourFox

[timbo]

Hi Jon

 

What are you using for priming and final coats?

 

Tim

[FourFox]

Hi Tim

 

After much experience of painting both armoured steel and aluminium I have settled on a simple system that works.

 

1. Remove any fixtures and fittings that you can. Clean off all the old paint and crap, right down to shiny metal. I use several angle grinders with coarse wire brushes. It's very hard work but does not damage the original surface appreciably. You soon learn to wear the right protective gear and to keep the spinning brush away from your skin and to stop it from forcibly removing your overalls! On 'hard to get at' nooks and crannies I use scrapers, screwdrivers and emery strip.

 

2. Wipe the cleaned surface as soon as practicable with standard thinners. This removes any grease residue. Blow with airline to remove any debris. Make sure your filter and water trap is effective.

 

3. Base coat spay with zinc phosphate primer (I use grey Dacrylate). It is most important to coat aluminium surfaces within an hour or so to prevent an oxide layer forming (and the need for an etch primer). You must not thin the primer with more than 10% thinners or it wont stick so well. You can colour the primer slightly with some top coat (say 5 to 10% max)

 

4. De-nib when just dry using an air orbital sander (240 grit). Rub down any obvious blemishes and re-coat where necessary. Sometimes it is best to do any necessary filling of rust pitting at this stage. I don't do this as a rule because I usually re-manufacture badly corroded tinwork.

 

5. First colour coat as soon as possible. I even somtimes spray 'wet on wet' system when the primer is only just dry. This ensures an excellent bond between primer and colour coat. On NATO green I use 'War paint', on DBG I use Cromadex.

 

6. Lightly de-nib and blow clean before final colour coat. Try to keep the addition of thinners to a minimum as this will help avoid too many runs.

 

Remember that the paint will not fully harden for several weeks. You can use a proprietary paint hardener or even a 2 pack polyurethane commercial paint. I find both of these a pain because my spraying is not up to the required commercial standard and fixing runs and blemishes becomes much harder.

 

Gloss finishes like DBG are 3 times more difficult for large areas as you have to avoid the dreaded 'dry edge' effect.

Matt or eggshell paints are much more forgiving as you can patch in as you like.

 

Here is my protoype Fox just after finish painting.

 

 

 

 

Jon

[griff66]

now that looks like a excellent paint finish:)

[timbo]

Brilliant thanks Jon. I am thinking about redoing the Sabre this summer, so this is helpful advice...

 

Tim

[joeferret]

Outstanding work..Thank you for sharing the pictures....................

[fadedsun]

Nice! Too bad you don't have anymore for sale.

[FourFox]

Oh but I do!

 

This one (08FD92) will be for sale at the W&P show (starting 17th July at the new Folkestone Racecourse venue).

Come and see it.

 

The Daimler Fox prototype is also still for sale (due to a time-waster at last years show). This will also be at the W&P show, unless somebody buys it before then!

 

 

 

Or how about my number one (or thereabouts) prototype Scorpion?

This resides at Dunchurch and has been on show for the last 2 years at the Tanks, Trucks and Firepower show.

Come and see it (and buy if you want) at this years show on August bank holiday.

 

 

Jon

Edited June 3, 2013 by FourFox

[FourFox]

At last things are beginning to go NATO green.

 

 

The turret is now finished on the outside and work is well under-way on the interior fittings.

Gunners night-sight is now working (that's a long story) and has been installed with it's restored cowl.

 

A few of the fixed periscopes need a touch-up of paint here and there but most are new.

 

RH side bin has been painted and fitted.

The fittings for the front outside have all been re-built or restored (again mostly NOS stock) and I now await the delivery of the new bumper. (I can't bend such a big piece with my local machinery).

 

It's the other side bin today and then paint the new wheels next week (now we have some better weather).

 

Keep you posted.

Jon

 

 

[FourFox]

Having battled for almost 2 weeks to restore the gunners night-sight to full working condition I have come to some revealing conclusions.

There are at least 4 types of power supply boxes for these sights...and there are 2 distinct types of wiring harnesses for the sight.

You need to have the right type of wiring harness with each type of box...otherwise it will not work...blows all the fuses...and kills the power supply.

Unfortunately they are all very similar and all the plugs fit!

A good tip is to fit the power supply to the hull before installing the sight as it is almost impossible to get all the fixing bolts into the turret wall with the sight in situ.

 

 

Having just finished the installation for the 3rd time...and now got it working...having totalled 2 power supplies and 1 intensifier element...a total stranger walks into my workshop, attracted by my other Fox parked outside for it's pre-season wash. He turns our to be ex REME and spent his service time working on (you guessed it) L2A1 night sights. A bit late to help me much, but quite a co-incidence!

 

The hull floor plates have now been restored (about half of them are NOS) and fitted.

 

 

 

The new seats are now all fitted. This took 2 days to get all the bolts in the right places.

 

 

I have since just about finished the installation of the turret centre ammunition storage bin, also the intercom amplifier and crew boxes. All now working in the vehicle. (they were previously bench tested to make sure all the bits are working. Most of the boxes are NOS.)

 

I must get round to finishing the other side bin and then it will all look almost finished!

 

More progress pictures later this week.

 

Jon

[FourFox]

At last I'm nearly finished!

The recent good painting weather has encouraged me to 'get on with' the outside painting.

All the wheel stations and the wheels have now been painted and re-assembled.

Final coat on the tops of the mudguards will not be done until I have stopped clambering all over them!

 

 

 

 

Now to fabricate the new front bumper and she's ready for the W&P revival.

The intercom is all working but I still have to fit the radios. They have already been bench tested, so it's just a matter of getting the wiring neat.

 

I hope to sell it at the W&P revival. Advert will follow here in the next few days.

PM me if you are interested.

 

Jon

[FourFox]

The insides are now almost finished!

There are still a few little storage boxes to paint in aluminium but the majority have now been re-fitted.

 

 

As you can see, there is not much spare space when all the equipment is in place!

 

 

 

 

She is now starting, running, steering and stopping as it should. I have had to re-adjust the gear linkage and bands so that all the gears are easy to change.

 

So now it's today to fit the new front bumper and then it's 'off to the show'.

 

Jon

[FourFox]

So here she is...finished off with that nice new front bumper!

 

 

And it's off to the show we go!

 

 

And we might as well do it in some style!

 

 

See the 'For Sale' forum.

 

Signing off on this one.

 

Jon

[ferrettkitt]

Cracking restorations the side on view shows the variations between vehicles very nicely.

[datadawg]

So here she is...finished off with that nice new front bumper!

 

 

And it's off to the show we go!

 

 

And we might as well do it in some style!

 

 

See the 'For Sale' forum.

 

Signing off on this one.

 

Jon

How much time in man hours did the restoration take you?